Here’s a question about Stu Burley: What wasn’t this Lawai man involved with on Kauai?
The answer: Not much.
How do we know this? Because Stu Burley was so often on the pages of The Garden Island newspaper.
And while Burley passed away on Aug. 18 at the age of 83, you haven’t seen the last of him on our pages. His contributions and impact will last lifetimes and, certainly, his name and legacy will continue to be spoken of in the decades to come.
Over the years, this friendly, dedicated and overachieving veteran was often either photographed or reported on for his extensive involvement in so many ways on Kauai.
For example (and we kept this list brief):
• When Christopher Grimes was selected as Coast Guard Station Kauai’s Sailor of the Quarter, Stu Burley was there.
• When Army Sgt. Tyler Wilson and his family recently arrived for a six-night visit to the Garden Island through the “Vacations for Warriors” program, Stu Burley was there.
• When the Veterans Day ceremony was held at Kauai Veterans Cemetery, Stu Burley was there.
• When work needed to be done at the Kauai Veterans Center and Kauai Veterans Museum, Stu Burley was there.
• When Kekaha Federal Credit Union or the Kauai Historical Society needed support, Stu Burley was there.
• When Kauai Community College students needed a mentor for developing a rocket system and testing payloads, you guessed it, Stu Burley was there.
You get the idea.
From keiki to kupuna, sports to science, community to business, if Stu Burley was needed, he was there, often with that mischievous smile and glint in his eyes.
The former Kauai Island Utility Cooperative board member was involved in projects, improvements and programs at the Pacific Missile Range Facility from 1957 to 2004, when he retired. He was the president of the Kauai Navy League, a former president of Kauai AARP and associate director of UH-Hawaii Space Grant Consortium.
Stu Burley was at the same time humble and proud. Humble enough to serve, proud enough to lead.
If you would like to say a final good-bye to Stu, his funeral services will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kalaheo Ward, on Saturday, Sept. 29. Burial will take place at Kauai Veterans Cemetery in Hanapepe afterward.
We could have called a number of people to share stories of this man and all that he did. But Stu Burley’s contributions have been well documented in this newspaper. We will let his actions speak for himself.
One thing we will say about Stu Burley: He was there.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
Mahalo for writing a wonderful tribute to a very special man. There was only one Stu Burley, and he was exceptional. His contributions to the Kaua’i community were “priceless”. I had the pleasure of working with him on Veteran issues…Stu was so immensely proud of his family’s service, and his own. He loved this Country and was so very proud and honored to be an American!